2025 4-star EDGE Christopher Burgess commits to Notre Dame: 'It feels like home already'

Notre Dame has landed a commitment from 2025 four-star EDGE Christopher Burgess. The junior out of Chicago Simeon committed to the Irish over Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State in San Antonio at the All-American Bowl.

This date was set well in advance, but the final decision wasn’t made until this week.

“It was a really tough decision,” Burgess told On3. “I was leaning more toward Ohio State, but Notre Dame made that final push and I made my decision on Thursday night.”

Burgess saw a lot of similarities between the Buckeyes and the Irish. He liked his relationships with the coaches in Columbus and South Bend. The No. 130 prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings saw good player development at each program. Football is played at a high level by both teams too. One thing set Notre Dame apart.

“What it really came down to was life after football. That Notre Dame degree carries a lot of weight. It sets you up for life. You can get any job, you can work anywhere in the world and the alumni is always going to be there. The degree is what set Notre Dame apart at the end for me. What Notre Dame offers is different.”

Burgess is Notre Dame’s 12th commitment for the 2025 class.

Notre Dame never slowed down in their pursuit of Burgess

Since the Irish offered Burgess when he was a sophomore, there has been strong communication. Burgess has visited South Bend around half a dozen times. The coaches have stopped by Simeon to check on him as many times as they could. The phone is always buzzing with Marcus Freeman, Al Washington or one of the other Notre Dame staffers on the other end.

The staff has done an excellent job recruiting Burgess and the new commit believes in the leader of the program.

“Our relationships go back a while,” Burgess said. “I had the offer earlier than I could report it because of how they for us to announce on St. Patrick’s Day. Since my freshman year, Notre Dame has been recruiting me.

“They know me, they know my family and the communication has always been there. They check up on me, they always reach out and they make me feel important and like a priority from the beginning. With the relationships and all of my visits there, they make it like family and it feels like home already at Notre Dame.”

Washington is who Burgess is closest to. He is excited to learn and develop under him. Burgess is just as excited about the program he is going into under Freeman.

“Coach Freeman is definitely taking Notre Dame back to the national championship level. He is building it right now and it is coming. He is a coach I want to play for. Coach Freeman is young, energetic, smart and he is building something.”